Chaos of Blades: Shinobi
by Cypher of Kumogakure
Summary: CHAPTER 1 UP. Even in the depths of despair, hope burns bright. But hope is never enough to halt the coming orgy of death, blood, demons and destruction. And in a chaos of whirling blades, the fate of the world is decided...
1. Prologue: Petty Plans of Men and Gods

Chaos of Blades

Prologue - The Petty Plans of Men and Gods

The dank cave in which the lone figure paced was a remarkably average thing, as caves go. No remarkable stashes of long lost gold, no archaic and epic weapons of legend, no great statues of unknowable mysteries or monsters beyond mortal ken, not even a decent stalactite cluster. And it served the man's purposes.

His puppets had been defeated.

True, they had gone up against an entire village, and the most powerful of the Five Great Shinobi Nations at that, but that was not what had the self declared 'God' so furiously accelerating the natural course of erosion along the rock floor. No, it was beyond that now.

Heaven had finally lowered its Doom upon the world. He should know, he was Heaven's tool for the remaking of the world after all. But his task had just been made a trifle more difficult.

Revealing himself at this point was out of the question. It would be difficult enough seizing control of the Hell King from Madara's grasp; he didn't need the wily old wolf plotting with him in the mix. Best to trust in Madara's willingness to go out and pick up the last two pieces of the jigsaw, in the shape of the Jinchuuriki of the Eight-tailed and Nine-tailed beasts. Then he could emerge in the moment of greatest weakness, and grasp onto power with the minimum of fuss from Madara and Zetsu.

Uchiha Sasuke and his little group were wildcards, of course. There was no telling just where the teenager would cast his dice: in killing the last remaining killer of the Uchiha clan, or fighting at the side of his new mentor.

_Oh well, best not over complicate things._ All things would come in their time. And time was now to recover those bodies.

And the lank-haired figure simply faded out of the cave, leaving only the steady dripping of water and numerous scuttling insects where he had been.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Dammit, Suigetsu! Don't go schmoozing around like that when we've got work to do! I know you're healed already, so stop pretending!"

"Could you maybe stick a cork in that? I'm trying to savor the moment here, you little floozie! I mean, check out the water in this place! I could just stay in here for a month!"

"But you don't get to, not now! You know how risky it is sneaking into a village, much less Konoha, so we need to get our preparations ready! So get up and ...wait a minute, DID YOU JUST CALL ME A FLOOZIE?!"

Juugo sighed, a great exhalation which captured all his exasperation with the bickering duo before him. Ever since Team Hawk had been assembled, those two had always been at it like hammer and tongs, but this was getting ridiculous. This close to the riskiest thing Juugo had ever attempted, and this was all they could be bothered with?

Even as these thoughts moved through his head, light steps sounded in the corridor, and the door swung open to reveal the figure of their leader. The light coming in behind him seemed to give him a dark, almost forbidding aura. Then he stepped in the room and the illusion was broken.

Young though he was, Uchiha Sasuke cut an imposing, almost world-weary figure standing in the middle of the chamber like that. His short sleeved white tunic was marked with streaks of green and brown, doubtless from training, and his hair, normally immaculately coiifed, was in remarkable disarray. Even his fingerless gloves, made by a special process developed by Orochimaru himself, were cracked. And yet, strangely, he was...grinning?

"Calm yourselves, Suigetsu, Karin. And ready yourselves. We will be setting out to Konoha today!"

Karin immediately assumed a blushing, swooning demeanour, while Suigetsu smirked,a psychotic expression that spoke of nothing so much as a desire to see more blood. As for Juugo himself, he couldn't even summon much emotion, other than worry. He did think Sasuke was capable of pulling it off. After all, he was the man who carried the will of Kimimaro. But still...

The former giant merely rose on his haunches, and said "Yes, Sasuke."

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

A new perception of the world and a new gift of raw power, that was Orochimaru's last, unwilling gift, to his most loyal servant. But servant he was no longer; Yakushi Kabuto was now a man of his own will, his own orders. Free to roam to the earth, doing as he wished, indulging every whim and caprice he had the power to indulge. And he was still not unbound. Not yet.

For he still had kills to conclude. Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, they who had turned his world upside down and inside out, by blazing into the world and changing everything about it, would receive the greatest of his thanks at the edge of his blade. Even as the muted whispers of his former master threatened to overtake his mind, that was the clearest thought he possessed.

He strode over to the window ledge of the inn he had stayed in for the past two days and looked into the orange rays of the setting sun. Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, he smirked. And the whispers of blood and violence in his mind seemed to rise to a crescendo even as the smirk turned into a full-blown laugh.

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Hm."

That simple exhalation held a veritable mountain of suppressed emotion; such was Danzou's anger at the failure. The old warrior paced and ruminated, even as his heart churned with the fury he could never display to his subordinates. The sunlight coming through the window seemed to hit his lone eye, only focusing the gleam of fury within. A finger rose and pointed to his right.

"Tetsuo. Kazuki."

"Yes, Danzou-sama?"

"Bring the one known as Sai before me. Bound hand and foot. Complete silence."

"Yes, Danzou-sama."

The two Root shinobi, identical in build, and wearing identical empty expressions, seemed to vanish, leaving Danzou at the window of the office that once belonged to his greatest nemesis, Sarutobi Hiruzen. The office that should rightfully have stayed within his grasp. The office that should never have left the hands of the Senju. The office that now demanded that another return it to the glory it had once borne within it.

Tsunade was no longer a factor, true. But allowing the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki to return in such a manner, as a veritable saviour, had ruined his depiction of the boy as a loose cannon who needed to be under the control of wiser heads, who presented a danger to Konoha by his mere presence. Whose danger could only be counteracted by handing him to Danzou, to mold as a weapon for Konoha's use.

Now he was an untouchable hero in the eyes of the populace. He had the solid support of Hyuuga Hiashi, who's daughters Uzumaki had just saved. His master, Hatake Kakashi, still lived, and would doubtless be acclaimed Rokudaime Hokage by the council of clans. Even Tsunade's apprentice, Haruno Sakura, had created a legend for herself during the invasion, and doubtless be in complete concert with her teammate as well.

And all because his own tool had ruined his plans. Sai had been the one to summon Uzumaki Naruto back to Konoha. How he had managed to attach an invisible beacon to the boy, he had no idea, but even the death of the communication toad had not been enough to keep Uzumaki out of Konoha until after the inevitable Akatsuki attack.

Danzou had known nothing of the attack before hand. But it had only been a matter of time before Akatsuki had tried it anyway, and the old fox had been confident Konoha would repel them. Besides, the village's shinobi had begun to grow soft. A few disasters, coming hand-and-foot, would have served him well in hardening them into the soldiers they should have been.

His sharp senses caught a hubbub at the foot of the tower. Apparently the Copy-nin was here. Best to retreat and plan and his next line of attack. A wind seemed to pick up around the old man, and he began to pass through the floor of the office.

Oh well. He had a few aces up his sleeve, a few gambits left to play...

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And all this the ethereal being watched, and was pleased with.

**0000000000000End of Chapter000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

A/N Even though this is a Naruto/Avatar crossover, strictly speaking, this story is part of a trilogy, and the crossover only occurs in th second volume. And I'm planning to write this story in such a way that it can be read without ever encumbering yourself with a crossover if you so wish. Put more simply, this story is as much a stand-alne package as it is a crossover.

And much credit to my new beta, lonewalker. I'm already convinced this is gonna be a long and fruitful collaboration.


	2. Playing Politics

Chapter 1 : Playing Politics

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"Four hundred and four, four hundred and five, four hundred and six..."

Beads of sweat ran down the bridge of his nose. His hair flopped about his face, nearly blinding him. And his grin was like sunlight over the horizon. Uzumaki Naruto was hard at work, for once in his lifetime determined to master, rather than merely learn, one of his numerous skills. But even upside down, his eyes and ears still worked, and he heard her footsteps long before she came into view. Still wearing that pink pinafore she had suddenly decided to start wearing, and an amused expression.

"Naruto, Kakashi-sensei said to tell you that...oh. One-fingered vertical push-ups on a thin, 10-foot long pole? Isn't that a bit much for balance training?"

"Nothing's ever too much when it comes to wielding the power of Nature, Sakura-chan! Besides, I get the feeling even Bushy-brows couldn't keep up with my training routine these days!"

"Oh come on, Naruto! No one trains as much as Lee-san!"

"Except Bushy-brows sensei!"

"Yeah...anyway, Kakashi-sensei wants to see you. He says it's important, and to meet him at the Hyuuga Clan compound as soon as possible."

"As in, now? Oh man!"

Even as he griped, Naruto flipped into a standing position, and grabbed his black tee-shirt from the nearby rock it had been spread out on. His kunai pouch went round his right thigh, his scrolls and shuriken around his waist. He threw on his orange-and-black jacket over the whole thing, and put his head through the band of his necklace. Finally, he tied his headband around his head, and turned a grin onto Sakura.

"Ready for action!"

"Erm, Naruto, this IS a rather formal meeting. Shouldn't you at least take a bath, and wear something a bit less... fragrant? This IS Hyuuga Hiashi, you know."

"Fragrant? What's wrong with what I have here now? Are they torn in the butt or something?" At Sakura's headshake, he continued "But then I don't need to...hey wait a minute!"

His face scrunched up into a thinking pose, as he bit his thumb while forming seals. He brought his hand crashing down on the grass.

"**Summoning Technique**!"

A sizeable cloud of smoke rose from under his palm, and slowly dispersed to reveal two toads of roughly thrice human size. The orange one on the right wore a ceremonial blue gi and a giant katana, while his yellow-skinned felllow came in similar attire, and carrying a gigantic battle-axe.

"Yo, 'Kichi, 'Tatsu! I'll need your help for a bit. 'Tatsu, go over to my place and bring me my 'special' clothes and my bathbag. Kichi, whip me up a small lake right here, so's I can take a dip for a bit."

"Shouldn't you be going home for that, bro?"

"Are you already getting hitched to the pink-haired one, Naruto?"

"Damnit, 'Tatsu, not that again! I mean those bloody clingy things Ero-Sennin got me a while back. You'll recognize them, right? And no, 'Kichi, I'm not going home. I'm in a hurry, so get going already!"

"Alrighty then. **Suiton: Placid Lake Technique**!"

A geyser of water seemed to erupt from the ground in front of Gamakichi, but quickly settled to form a smooth surface over a lake that was at least four feet deep. Sakura looked on in barely disguised amusement as Naruto tossed off the jacket and pants he had worn just seconds ago, and leapt into the lake clad in naught but boxers. Her amusement quickly turned to indignation though, as Naruto's head popped out of the water to shout "Come on in, Sakura-chan - the water's real warm" and give her what he thought was a sassy come-hither grin.

"Naruto..." was all that the pink-haired kunoichi growled.

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The previously bright blue noon sky had quickly darkened as the afternoon wore on. Dark, almost forbidding clouds roiled overhead, and lightning accasionally flashed within them. Hyuuga Hinata, watching the sky overhead, couldn't suppress a shudder of memory. Her feet shifted, and she tried to avoid fidgeting, even as her father turned his stern gaze upon her.

Hinata, her father Hyuuga Hiashi, and her sister Hanabi, stood under the massive arch framing the doorway to the Main Hyuuga compound, awaiting the arrival of their guest. The sught of Hanabi cradling her broken arm, which was still in a sling, only reminded her of just how close they had come to dying.

_"Hinata-sama, Hanabi-sama!"_

_The Branch House member they had encountered at the scene of the devastation seemed to almost collapse in relief. His face was ragged with bruising, and his chuunin vest was ripped almost to pieces. Most horrible though, was his left hand, which was barely hanging on to his arm by a bit of flesh and half-broken bone. His expression gave the lie to his injuries, however, a smile of almost dissonant cheer gracing his plain features._

_"Thank the kami you are here! The opponent is an Akatsuki who...aargh!"_

_The exclamation had been forced out of his mouth by Hinata, who had promptly set the bone and was healing the damage. Her sister instantly settled into a Jyuuken stance, warily observing the plump man in Akatsuki robes. The remaining Konoha shinobi surrounding him all wore signs of exhaustion, and amny were falling, either knocked unconscious or dead. A cold chill crawled up Hinata's backbone, even as she reflexively activated her bloodline._

_The veins around her forehead instantly thickened with the increased blood and chakra flow to her eyes, as the pale orbs instantly focused on their opponent. Her body almost flowed into a fighting stance, but she frowned, her eyebrows knitting together even as the injured shinobi's arm began to reassert its ownership rights on the wrist. This Akatsuki's chakra system was extremely strange._

_Hanabi seemed to come to a decision, as the twelve-year old charged through the surprised pack of Konoha shinobi, arm cocking back as if to push the Akatsuki away. And that was almost what she did._

_"__**Hakke: Open Air Palm!**__"_

_A blast of chakra shot out of Hanabi's palm, aiming for the invader. Even as the young genius watched though, the man seemed to merely put his palm in the way of the attack and block it. _No, not block it, _Hanabi decided, as her eyes narrowed. _He's absorbing the chakra in the attack. _She advanced on the Akatsuki, who had suddenly erupted in a smirk. Wary eyes tracked every movement he made, even as her brain ran through options. _

_"That's what I was about to tell you, Hinata-sama. He absorbs all ninjutsu attacks. Elemental attacks, chakra blasts, whatever we throw at him doesn't work. And we don't have a genjutsu specialist here anymore - he struck Sakata-san down before he could do anything. I tried to engage him in hand-to-hand, but he used a chakra blade to sever my wrist. Maybe scions of the Main House can do better, because there's nothing else to try." The Branch member, whose name was Takuya, if Hinata remembered correctly, began to hack and cough. Her right hand, limned in green healing chakra, immediately diverted to his chest. _Internal damage,_ her mind whispered._

_Her Byakugan, of course, had allowed her to see what Hanabi had been doing, and she used the lull to leap down from the rubble beside her sister and move into fighting stance as well._

_"Where is Uzumaki Naruto?" The invader's deep voice demanded. "Anyone who provides information as to his whereabouts may live. The rest will not."_

_"The hell?" one of the shinobi replied, a gangly, black-haired chuunin. "Even if I knew who he was, or where he was, you think I'd tell you?" He surreptitiously began wrapping an explosive taga around the handle of a kunai._

_"It would be in the best interest of your continued existence, yes."_

_"Ah, go to hell! I ain't betraying my fellow Konoha shinobi!" And so saying, he threw the kunai at the foot of the intruder. The resulting blast stirred up a cloud of dust._

_"Oi Ryoma, you can't tell me you don't know who the hell Uzumaki Naruto is?" The incredulous question was asked by an older-looking chuunin, who was otherwise tensely observing his surroundings, waiting for their opponenet to emerge. "Or you don't remember that guy who painted the Hokage monument, some years back?"_

_"That was the guy? But what would these guys want with a punk like that?"_

_"Beats me. But here he comes!"_

_The Konoha shinobi immediately bagan hastily backpedaling, dropping smoke-bombs as they went. As the purple smoke rose and hid a lot of the battlefield, Hinata subtly signaled to her sister. Together, they charged unerringly at the intruder's position, Hinata going for a strike to the guts and the Gate located at the stomach, Hanabi going for a direct hit to the brain._

_It should have worked. The battlefield covered in smoke, their opponent should have been blinded and unable to react at his full speed. And attacking in tandem as they had, he should not have been able to avoid at least one of them. But, sinously shifting, his body moving almost like a snake's, he grabbed Hinata's wrist with one hand while gracefully shifting his head to avoid Hanabi's palm. Before Hinata could even think to react, he swung her bodily at her sister, who leapt back to dodge. Hinata herself managed to catch herself and flip over onto her feet before she went crashing into the rubble just ahead of her._

_And his assault had not ceased. Leaning back, he seemed to form a strange seal, and tilt his head backwards. A massive buildup of explosive chakra was instantly visible to Hinata's eyes within the man's body. What was he going to do, let his body explode?_

_"Everyone, get out of here!"_

_Too late, Hinata saw his true intentions._

_"__**Ninpou: Returned Gift!**__"_

_His arms straight out by his sides, he fired off two multicoloured boomerang-shaped blasts from each palm, forming an ellipse of destruction. Forewarned however, more than half the shinobi there had managed to escape the attack. The unlucky ones, however, simply separated into two parts in a gory display of blood and guts. The two Hyuuga however, had other defences, in mind. Spining on their axes like tops, they emitted uniform fields of chakra which formed protective half-domes about them._

_"__**Kaiten!**__"_

_Even as they stopped spinning however, another problem confronted them. For the missing-nin - apparently a former shinobi of the Hidden Rain village - was charging at them. He threw a short jab at Hinata which turned into a rolling kick directed at Hanabi. Even as Hanabi managed to evade however, he turned and grabbed Hinata's arm once more, as she had thrown a Jyuuken strike at his right side. Spinning, he slammed her headfirst into the rubble. Not done, he heaved her headfirst at Hanabi, obstructuing her for the brief milliseconds he needed to slam a fist into her gut, then pund her head into the floor._

_Bloodied and nearly broken, Hinata neverhteless tried to nail him in the back with an __**Open Air Palm**__, but without even turning, he absorbed the attack once more. He turned a strangely empty expression on her, and began to slowly stride towards the now incapacitated Hyuuga heir. Hanabi, however, seemed to spring at his unprotected back, face flushed with triumph. Faster than even her eyes could percieve, he bent at the waist, avoiding the head strike, then launched a powerful heel kick into Hanabi, then grabbed her outstretched arm before she flew off. The muffled cry of pain as the shoulder was forcefully dislocated was like the knell of doom to Hinata's ears. Merciless, the missing-nin snapped his other fist into the middle of Hanabi's arm, breaking the bone cleanly._

_And then he grabbed her neck and began to suffocate her. In desperation, Hanabi launched one last Jyuuken attack, this time with her feet, into the nearly surprised nin's stomach, then cried out in pain as he dropped her to the ground, on the arm he had just broken. This was not the setback to the enemy Hanabi had thought it was however, as he had turned to backhand Hinata into the ground, then step on her prone neck. Even as he did, he grabbed once more on Hanabi's neck, and began to squeeze._

_"I'll ask one last time. Where is Uzumaki Naruto?"_

_"Let them go, bastard. I'm right here."_

_As the world faded to darkness, the last sight she saw was Naruto-kun, astride a rather large orange toad, and an almost unholy rage marring his features..._

Hinata sighed, as unwanted memories of her experience at the hands of the Akatsuki passed through her mind. She forced them to the back of her mind, as the outside world intruded on her thoughts once more.

"What's he going to be like, Nee-san?" This was from Hanabi, who had finally tired of waiting in the open for a guest who didn't seem like coming, and was now shifting on the balls of her feet. Hinata tended to forget, sometimes, that her sister had only recently turned twelve, and for all her skill had not even become genin yet. Like most of the Hyuuga, she tended to act with a deliberateness and reserve that was far in excess of her tender years.

"Calm yourself, Hanabi." her father interposed "It is not proper for you to show your impatience in your body language. You are a Hyuuga, afterall."

"Yes, Father. You haven't answered my question, Nee-san."

Hinata tried to take a moment to collect her thoughts. How was she to describe Naruto-kun to her sister, and by extension her father? His bravery, his ability to smle at anything, his inner strength...

"Hiashi-sama, your guests, Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura, and Uzumaki Naruto, are here."

"Good, good, Honmaru-kun. Escort them in, if you will. And where is Neji, by the way?"

"Hai, Hiashi-sama. And Neji is just inside the door to the - here he is." For indeed the Hyuuga genius had just stepped out of the Main House building and out under the archway. His entire head and torso wrapped in bandages, of course.

Even as Honmaru stepped away to bring the guests in, Hinata couldn't help but wonder why, exactly, they had been invited here. Sure, Naruto-kun had saved her and Hanabi's life, and Sakura-san had saved Neji-nii-san's, but still, why would Father invite them here? If he had merely wanted to offer his thanks, he could probably have sent a courier with a hand-scripted missive, like he had done with Kiba-kun's pack a while back.

She would just have to wait and see.

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"I hate coming to places like this."

This terse statement was straight out of Uzumaki Naruto's mouth, and his expression said no different. He stretched one arm out behind his neck, and tugged at his collar. A branch of a chrysthanthemum tree leaned in fron of his face, and the blooms seemed to wilt before him.

"Be that as it may, Naruto, you're going to have to get used to coming to places like this if you become Hokage, you know."

"Hah! When I become Hokage I won't need to come to a place like this. They're going to have to come to my office, Kakashi-sensei."

"Good luck trying, Naruto," Sakura put in, "those clan politics are a massive headache for anybody to untangle."

"Speak for yourself, Sakura-chan. I see only bigheads and pricks…eh?"

For a Branch Member had appeared near silently before them. His tan brown robe was immaculate, and his expressionless white eyes rested squarely on the orange-clad teenager.

"Welcome. Hiashi-sama will see you now. Please follow me."

So saying, the Hyuuga trned on his heel, and began striding back towards the imposing building at the centre of the Hyuuga clan compound. Following behind him, Naruto merely snorted and said, "Well there's a happy camper!"

They walked alon the pathway, appreciating the garden on each side, and inhaling their sweet scent. Even as they arrived, they saw four figures standing under a massive stone archway, seemingly waiting for them. The tallest of them peeled away and came forward.

"Welcome to my humble home, shinobi. Come in, if you please."

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"So, why are we here, old man?"

An eyebrow twitched, and a vein in his forehead seemed to rise, but otherwise Hyuuga Hiashi seemed to show no reaction to Naruto's rudeness.

"I have called you here today for several reasons. Undoubtedly, the first reason is to extend my thanks to the two of you, Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto, for saving the members of my family sitting here with us."

Naruto suddenly blushed and said "Ah, come on, it was nothing… I was glad to do it."

"Nonetheless, you have my gratitude." Hiashi stretched his lips in a semblance of a smile, which bore more of a resemblance to a grimace. Neji smirked at Naruto, while Hinata and Hanabi merely looked down demurely, as was expected of the Hyuuga maidens.

"Nonetheless, this is not why you have brought us here, is it, Hyuuga-san?"

"As perceptive as your reputation makes you out, aren't you, Hatake-san? I will cut this down to essentials then. But first, how is Tsunade-sama faring? And I would not like you to rehash the reassuring drivel you're giving the other shinobi."

"Very well," Sakura replied, then grimaced "Her chakra system is completely burned out, and she may never regain the use of her left leg. Otherwise, the head trauma left no permanent damage."

Hiashi sighed "And so I assume a new Hokage must be selected, then?"

"We don't know yet. We are still not done trying all the treatments we've got at hand, and Shizune-sempai and I have some new ideas we can-"

Hiashi swung his arm down sharply, cutting her off "But the greatest likelihood is that a new Hokage must be chosen, isn't it?"

"Well, yes, Hyuuga-sama."

"very well. As the head of the Hyuuga clan, I have many sources of information. Several of those have indicated that the head of the defunct ANBU Root section, Danzou, is making a play for the Hokage's position." Kakashi's lone eye narrowed, but the other two merely looked quizzical. "Much as it pains me to say it, he is in a formidable position to take it. He certainly still possesses the power to fulfill the position's requirements.

But I do not feel that Danzou is the right person to become the village's leader, and his rigid policies may well return the world to an age best forgotten, an age of war and rampage."

"And so you have brought the other two likely candidates for the Hokage's position here. Or have I misread the situation?"

Naruto turned astonished eyes on his sensei. Him, already a Hokage candidate? He had thought, idly, about it in the past few days, but to be seriously considered…? But Hiashi was already replying.

"Yes, that is my reasoning. Not forgetting that the Hokage's apprentice is a significant political voice as well. And since you are a team, matters are made even simpler as well."

"What are you driving at, Hyuuga-sama?" That was Sakura's suddenly suspicious voice.

"Simply put, I would extend my support, amongst the clans and the village at large, to whichever of you two would seriously consider opposing Danzou's play for power."

"Wait a minute. Kakashi-sensei, who is this Danzou guy? I feel like I've heard his name before."

"Simply, Naruto, he is the former rival of the Third Hokage for his position, as well as the guy who sent Sai to assassinate Sasuke."

Naruto's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing more.

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Freedom was delicious.

The chirping of birds and the trickle of water along the streambed were not sounds new to the man known as Kira Bee. However, he hadn't gotten to hear them outside his little valley since the last time he had tried to escape the Cloud Village. And as such, every sound seemed magnified, every sight even more colorful and crisp, every smell accentuated to an almost unbearable degree.

Bee reached into his pouch, muttering "Where's that damn map?"

_Perhaps you lost it at that last waterfall you felt the need to waste time at._

"Ah shaddap, dude. You know the way I rolled outta there, I almost thought a pair a' shears, had come to take away my hair"

_You said you'd stop with that ridiculous rap already! You're no good at it!_

"Sorry, sorry. Just can't seem to help myself. Maybe when I get to Subby-sensei, I can start singing enka couplets to you instead?

The crunch of bark falling away from tree branches instantly had Kira Bee looking up. Before him stood the weirdest … person Kira had ever seen. Tall, green, and severly challenged was the best way he could put it. And surrounding his black-and white striped face was a Venus flytrap! Worst of all of Kira's mood though, was the black cloak, patterned with red clouds, that the man wore.

"Not you Akatsuki punks again!"

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Cypher:I wanted Madara to be the one to fight him, but I suddenly decided to have Zetsu do it instead. As a result, I rushed the ending of this chappie a bit, and threw out the entirety of the chapter 2 I had written before.

I'll add a glossary when you're done looking through this one, and suggested changes. I;m still not quite satisfied with the Hyuuga convo, personally. But I had to stop rewriting some day.


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